Oscars 2019: Predicting The 10 Best Popular Films Nominees

Back in 2009, the Oscars announced a plan to expand the possible Best Picture nominees from five to ten.

The logic behind this move was remarkably similar to the logic at play, causing them to introduce this new Best Popular Film category. The Oscars' ratings were taking a dive and they were being regularly criticized for not acknowledging achievements made by popular films, with The Dark Knight's lack of a Best Picture nom being the crux of the argument at the time.

And so, for a moment, this expanded Best Picture category did just that; allowed the Academy to nominate films outside of their usual wheelhouse. So, at the next awards, films like District 9 and Up were nominated. This an especially bright moment for Pixar, as it was their first film (and only the second animated film ever) to be nominated for Best Picture.

The next year, Toy Story 3 was also nominated for Best Picture. But then, after that, all that change kind of went to waste. The Academy rarely nominates ten films anymore and when they do, they're pretty much all standard Awards-fare. In 2015, Pixar released the immaculate Inside Out, and nary a Best Picture nom was had.

So the introduction of this new category alongside the fact that Pixar released a great film this year with Incredibles 2, means that it's practically a sure bet. If the Academy is looking to honor popular films that are also well-made, Pixar films are exactly what they'll be looking to nominate.

It's just an added bonus that Brad Bird and co. did an excellent job and delivered a truly wonderful and Academy-worthy film with Incredibles 2.